How to Create Puppy Lemon Laws in Your City or State

The following information illustrates step by step how to create better consumer protection laws in your state. Talk to friends, neighbors, co-workers, local animal rescue organizations, anyone who might be willing to pitch in and help create and submit a proposal to your local congress person. Starting a local petition to show there is community support for the idea is a great idea. With services like the online ThePetitionSite.com, participation is easy and just a click away! It's time for ordinary citizens to make use of the rights afforded to us to DEMAND consumer protection within the pet industry!

Step 1.
How an Idea becomes a bill:

While not a quick or easy process... anyone can come up with the idea for a bill. The first step is to create the proper legal form, then it's reviewed by the Legislative Services staff at the Statehouse.

Step 2.
Finding a Sponsor:

You will need a sponsor in both the House and the Senate. The Sponsors will take your idea to committee hearings such as the print hearing.

Step 3.
At a print hearing:

At this point your idea is not yet a bill. At the print hearing, your sponsor will give a copy of it to other members of the committee, who then decide if it's worthy enough to be printed into a bill.

The committee may suggest changes before it allows the idea to become a bill. If they decide your idea is "bill worthy" here are the subsequent steps that will follow once your idea becomes an official "Bill."

4. 1ST READING
After it is "read," a bill is referred to a committee that deals with the topic of the bill.

5. COMMITTEE HEARING
Committees are proportionate to a party's representation in the total body.

6. FLOOR ACTION
Once a bill is "read" for the 2nd and 3rd times, the full body votes on it. Let's say
it passes the full House. The bill then goes to the Secretary of the Senate. It goes through first reading and then is assigned by the Lieutenant Governor to a Senate committee.

If a bill started in the Senate and passes the full Senate, the procedure is reversed and the bill would be sent to the Clerk of the House, then to 1st reading, and then to a committee assigned by the Speaker.

7. 2ND COMMITTEE HEARING
If a bill fails in its second committee hearing it dies.

8. SENATE FLOOR ACTION
The Lieutenant Governor breaks a tie on the Senate Floor.

9. HOUSE FLOOR ACTION
If the bill ties in the House, it dies and will not become a law.

10. THE GOVERNOR
The Governor can sign a bill into law or he/she can veto it.
The governor can also allow a bill to become law without their signature. If the governor vetoes a bill, the body in which the bill originated can override the veto with a 2/3rds vote.